I continue on my quest to make low sugar and no pectin jams so that those that really want to use the fruits they grow can make them for their dietary needs. I had some strawberries in the freezer that I thawed and decided to go pick from the many trees we have in the neighborhood of kumquats. One note to remember is when you are making a low to no sugar jam you will have a lower yield. The sugar adds volume to the recipe. Also when you are making a jam without pectin you will also have a decreased yield because you will have to cook down the fruit to get the jam consistency. For this recipe I only got two half pints, but they are amazing. In the end the Strawberry Kumquat Honey jam turned out a thick and luscious concoction. I needed to use both cups of honey in order to cut the tart flavor of the kumquats. The reason I don't call it a Marmalade is that a marmalade is primarily sugar and citrus and slow cooked down till the sugars turn into a soft ball. Since I didn't use sugar in the recipe I'll stick with jam! Strawberry Kumquat Honey Jam 2 cups strawberries, chopped2 cups sliced kumquats, de-seeded2 cups honey, any flavor

Cooking: In a stainless steel pot combine strawberries and kumquats. If you have no juice or liquid from the fruit add a 1/4 cup of water so the fruit will not scorch. Cook on medium/low till the skins of the kumquats are soft and the strawberries starts to break down a
little, about 10 to 15 minutes at a simmer. Stir in the honey and heat till the mixture begins to bubble. Continue to heat on a low simmer for about 35 minutes till the jam is thick and passes the spoon or plate test. Remove from heat.Processing: Ladle jam into hot, sterilized half pint
canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill
if necessary. Wipe rims, and add hot lids and rings. Place the jars in the
water bath making sure that the water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches.
Add hot water to the canner if it doesn't measure up. Cover the pot and turn up
the heat under the canner and wait for the water to start boiling. Once the
water has come to a boil start your timer for 10 minutes. When complete turn
off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes.
Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will
sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning.

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Altitude Adjustments

The gel point method is also noted in many cookbooks and is a process to test the gel of a jam, jelly or preserve. There are two methods of testing using a spoon or a plate.

SHEET TEST

Dip a cold metal spoon into the boiling soft spread. Lift the spoon and hold it horizontally with edge down so that the syrup runs off the edge. As the mixture cooks, the drops will become heavier and will drop off the spoon separately but two at a time. When the two drops join together and “sheet” off the spoon, the gel stage has been reached.

FREEZER TEST

Chill a small saucers in the freezer. Place a teaspoonful of soft spread on the chilled saucer and place in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove the saucer from the freezer and push the edge of the spread with your finger. A mixture that has reached the gel stage will be set, and the surface will wrinkle when the edge is pushed.